FUTEBOL CLUBE DO PORTO - FUTEBOL, SAD
After confirming the qualification to the final of the Portuguese Cup, as FC Porto beat Sporting (1-0), Sérgio Conceição started by analysing the match in which the Dragons played "in a medium-high block", keeping "the match under control", and congratulated the players, "who understood almost perfectly what was planned". The coach also revealed that it was the group, "together", that decided that "Pepe deserved to be in today's match and experience the emotions of this classic", a decision that made the coach "happy". After praising the work and positive spirit of all players and congratulating Tondela for making it to Jamor, Conceição focused on the next match: "Starting tomorrow, we will be thinking of the very difficult team that we will face on Monday, in Braga".
Analysis to the classic
"It was part of the strategy to have the team playing in a medium-high block, and not chase them when they started playing from Adán, as we suffered a little bit in those moments in the championship, whenever they managed to counter our pressure. I think Sporting managed to move up three or four times with danger in the match for the championship, and the players understood the game plan perfectly; we may have lacked better decisions, and we should have held the ball more in the first-half, which we managed in the second. Always with the match under control, I can only think of one situation for Matheus Nunes, at the start of the second-half; we had some chances that could have ended in more goals and this was a very mature match from my team. There was an adjustment in our midfield to control Sporting's width and depth, so congratulations to the players, who understood almost perfectly what was planned."
The rightful decision of the team to include Pepe
"I can reveal that, until two days ago, Pepe was going to play, but when we knew Pepe was banned, the decision was made for Fábio Cardoso to play. The players understand, from their daily work, who is in better position to play, but I had the opportunity to tell them yesterday, in the last training session, that Fábio was going to play, when I told them the team. Then, at the last minute, this situation came up and I had the openness, which I always have, and the honesty to talk to the players and, together, we decided that Pepe deserved to be in today's match and experience the emotions of this classic, not so much for sporting reasons, but for the justice that was for him to be on the pitch, as I trust the central defenders I have at my disposal. I was happy for the decision to have Pepe on the pitch, an experienced player, the captain."
The work capacity and the positivity of the entire squad
"Players always behave depending on what you work on and on what you experience, in terms of state of mind. Toni, like other "Tonis" we had during the season and that we will certainly have until the end of the season, are all doing great in the sense that they work at full capacity and remain positive. If the players believe in what they are doing and have that positive energy, they can add what is asked of them to the match. That response is a reflection of the state of mind we have in our squad and that makes me tremendously proud, because that is how we can be competitive in the titles we fight for."
Congratulations to Tondela and the desire to break the personal "curse" at Jamor
"A word to Tondela, as they are from a region that deserves to have a team in the first division, and I want to wish them a good end to the championship and congratulate them for being in the final of the Portuguese Cup. It will be a difficult match, we will talk about it in due time. I played many matches in Jamor as a player, it's true that in the last two finals I wasn't that happy, we have this third opportunity to reverse what happened. We've slept on this match at Jamor and, as starting tomorrow, we will be thinking of the very difficult team that we will face on Monday, in Braga. That's our focus, I don't want to be hypocritical here, I'm happy, we're on the right path and we're missing the final stage of the championship and the match against Tondela on May 22."
A goal by Toni Martinez decided the classic against Sporting and FC Porto is in the final of the Portuguese Cup
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Futebol Clube do Porto - Futebol SAD published this content on 21 April 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 22 April 2022 10:37:07 UTC.
